Smoking cessation and prevention of mental health problems:

Discussing two ongoing projects

Michael Levin, Jacqueline Pistorello, Steven Hayes, John Seeley, Jennifer Plumb,

Douglas Long & Roger Vilardaga

e-ACT

• Benefits of online interventions

• Potential research opportunities for ACT– Component/dismantling– Mediation– Treatment matching/tailoring– Quality improvement– Stepped care

Online Smoking Cessation Program

• Prevalent and costly problem

• Evidence for efficacy of ACT

• Potential to conduct additive/dismantling studies

Method

• Participants– Current smoker interested in quitting– 18 or older

• Randomized to intervention or 1 week waitlist

• Online assessments at pre, post, 1-6 week follow up

Intervention Overview

• 45 minute intervention combining video, audio narration, graphics, and worksheets

• Targeted values– Defining values (i.e., values as a direction)– Clarifying values (i.e., 80th birthday)– Linking values to goals (i.e., identifying alternative

behaviors to smoking)– Using values to guide actions in the moment (i.e., values

card)– Using values to support continued abstinence (i.e.,

gardening metaphor

Arriving at East

Welcome to East!

Population: You!

What Do You Want On Your Tombstone?

How People Relate to Their Computers

There’s

some-

thing

wrong

with me

I’ll never be able to quit

Where the Programming Came From

• Your programming comes from your experiences throughout life

• You can’t delete your programming

• You can choose how close you sit to the screen

Don’t Think of XDo

n’t t

hink

abou

t sm

okin

g I keep

thinking of

smoking!!!

I’m doing a good job of

not thinking about

smoking

Did I think about

smoking?

Potential Issues

• Difficulty with recruitment and attrition

• Problems with the video and website

ONLINE PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

Online Prevention Program

• High rates of mental health problems in college students

• Experiential avoidance as a core common process

• Can ACT prevent mental health problems?

• Benefits of an online program

Study Overview

• SBIR-Funded– Working with a media developer

• Phase I: – Focus groups– Interface design testing– RCT

Proposed Program

• Develop 3 sessions targeting acceptance, defusion and values

• Multimedia (video, graphics, animation, audio narration, interactive content)

Potential Issues

• Targeting for college students and non-clinical population

• Challenges with commercialization

• Working with media developers

Future Directions for e-ACT

• How can we implement “low intensity” ACT?

• How can we collaborate in developing online interventions?